James s



@einen tetra garnet ffirr.

JAMES s'. TAYLOR, or DANBURrcoNNEcTIcUr. Letters Patent No. 65,300, elated Mag 28, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SIZING HATS, dac.

@the Stlptule numb tuin tinte ttrts 33mm mit making mi nf the tame.

Be it known that I, JAMES S, TAYLOR, of Danbury, in the county of Faireld, and in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Sizing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication. In the drawings- Figure lis a plan view. A

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through linex ageing. 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section through line o 0 of fig. 1.

My invention may be considered as an improvement upon my invention for sizing or felting hats, patented May 3, 1853, and lconsists in the addition thereto of a device by which an adjustable vibratory motion is given to the hats as they pass through the machine, as will fully hereinafter appear. My improved machine is to be used for felting or shrinking hats, or other articles or material.

A represents the rectangular frame 0f the machine, within which is built a vat, B, for containing the hot water used in felting. C C are two iiuted rollers, larger at each end than in the centre, and having their bearings in lthe ends of the frame so that their central portions shall be below the top of vat B. These rollers are provided at one end with cog-wheels c c, which are driven by a smaller gear-wheel, a, on the pulley-shaft d, so

as-to revolvethe rollers in the same direction. Rollers C are so arranged with respect to each other that, viewed vertically as in iig-1, their axes are parallel, and viewed horizontally, as in fig. 2, their axes are diagonal, crossing at the centre. The rollers are driven by a belt, b, passing from pulley D to a smaller pulley, E, on the powershaft F. G is the vibrating-platen or i felter,H consisting of two small iuted or-plain cylinders or bars fastened to metallic cross-heads, which are pivoted to the swings H H, and are made to vibrate diagonally across the rollers B. The swings I-I H are pivoted to traversing nuts I I, which are traversed by the right-and-left screws K K', which are (diagonally with relation to each other) suspended over the rollers from their-standards L L, the right end of screw K being the highest, andthe left end of screw K lowest. The felter is vibrated and reciprocated by means of pitmen P attached to the falter, and cranks N on the crank-shaft O, which is driven rapidly by a large pulley, e, on the main power-shaft F. By turning the screws K K so as to draw together the traversingnuts I I, the felter is depressed so as to bring itn'earer to the rollers and increase its pressure upon the article being felted. An opposite effect is produced by turning the screws reversely. v

The operation of my invention is as follows: The hat bodiestor other article) are in the iirst place formed by machinery or by lhand in the usual manner. A workman then rolls up one or more hat bodies in a cloth about eighteen inches square, and places this roll in the concave formed by rollers C-at their right-hand end. The revolving motion of the rollers imparts to the hats a rolling motion, and the diagonal position and shape of the' rollers gives the hats a longitudinal motionin the direction of the axes of the rollers. By this means the hats are carried under and in contact with the felter G. The action of this felter, imparted by its rapid, gentle,positive vibrating motion upon the roll of goods to be felted, causes the fibres of the goods to be rapidly felted together. As the process continues the roll passes under the felter G and out at its left-hand end and in the concave formed between the rollers. The roll is then opened and inspected by the workman, and thel hats are again rolled up in another direction, and again passed through the machine. The process is completed by running the roll of hats through the machine from thirty to eighty times, according to the nature of the goods. When hat bodies (or other goods) are first put into the `machine, their fibres cohere very slightly, and they are very liable to be torn, distorted, or otherwise injured. While in this condition the motion given to them must be light and delicate. This is accomplished by regulating the felter'so as to barely touch and but lightly press upon the goods, thus giving them what is termed light work at the beginning of the felting process. As the process is continued, the goods become firmer in their texture, and capable of enduring'the greater pressure which is needed to more irmly knit together the iibres. By means of the screws, I can increase this pressure as the work-advances, at the discretion of theoperator, giving very light work, or only a. few ounces of pressure in the iirst stage, and gradually increasing, until in the last stages there will be very heavy work, with a. pressure of many pounds. By myinventionI am enabled to save from one-thirdto one-half of the labor usually expended in felting, and produce a better and more uniform quality of goods.

Having described my invention, what I claim as..new, amd desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I l. The diagonal vibrating felter G, constructed and operating substantially as and .for the purposes l sot forth.

2. The mode herein described of imparting motion to the roll of goods by means of the felter Gr, cranks N, pitmen L, and swings H.

3. The combination and arrangement of screws K, sliding-nuts` I, and swings H, substantially as described` i lfor the purpose of regulating the pressure of the felter. i

4. The felter G in combination with two or more rollers C, substantially Aals and for the purposes set forth. 1 In testimony that I claim the above-described invention I have hereunto signed my name this 25th day of Y January, 1867.-

' JAMES S. TAYLOR.

Witnesses HARVEY OsBonNE, JAMES M. BAILEY. 

